Immanuel Kant(1724-1804) is without question one of the all-time greats in philosophy. The impact of his thought is still being felt, particularly in the area of ethics. Unfortunately to accompany his startling innovations, Kant introduced a new philosophical vocabulary. Equally unfortunate is Kant’s somewhat turgid prose style – all of which makes reading Kant very slow going. Perhaps in recognition of the difficulty for the reader Kant eases us into the depths of his moral philosophy with his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785). Kant intended for this work to focus on establishing the fundamental principle of morality. It is not, strictly speaking, an introduction to his moral philosophy – but may serve as such. A further difficulty is that a familiarity with the ideas in Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is important in order to appreciate his moral philosophy. The following summary, suitable for undergraduates, attempts to supply that background while introducing the Groundwork. A thorough introduction to Kant is beyond the scope of this review. As always tackling the primary sources is highly recommended.
drjohnross 